Post by Onyxaeon on Nov 30, 2008 22:37:49 GMT -5
There are several varieties of oak, and may have different medicinal uses. The bark is astringent and antiseptic, and a decoction of the bark is drunk to treat acute diarrhoea, gargled for sore throats, and applied as a compress for burns and cuts. It is added to ointments for cuts and haemorrhoids. Acorns are fed to swine. Oak bark provides tannin- since leather tanners seemed immune to tuberculosis. The bark was once used to treat the disease. Oak galls are the primary ingredient in ink.
